Sunday, January 11, 2015

Downtown Art Heritage Cafe is no longer new, I espied the place some time ago when I was in the vicinity. The seemingly quiet and curious cafe is a subsidiary of SOJU group, offering an Asian-inspired menu that defies convention. It does not offer the ubiquitous Aglio Olio, Egg Ben but rather, something unique with their own delightful personal touches. The strategic location makes Downtown Art Heritage Cafe highly visible, it takes the prominent corner lot of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, right next to the touristy Armenian Street. A great place to enjoy a meal and rest your legs while visiting the forever-bustling Armenian street.

To start the meal, we had Mixed Salad with Smoked Duck Breast (Rm 10.90), carefully crafted Smoked Duck Breast atop of a bed of Fresh Greens, dressed with their sweet but smoky Teriyaki-like dressing. The Smoked Duck Breast could be a tad salty on its own but it works well with the fresh greens. Quite a unique but refreshing start.

We were introduced to one of their signature dishes- Nasi Ketuk with Chicken Rendang (Rm 16.90) by one of their friendly and eloquent staff. The rice got its blue hue from Butterfly Pea Flower. The hearty dish comes with a huge Grilled Chicken Thigh, served with a very unique and herbaceous Lemongrass Curry. Sides were Anchovy Sambal, Papaya & Onion Compote as well as Crackers. This set comes with a multi-dimensional flavors- spicy, savory, sweet, acidic and aromatic. Despite that the Grilled Chicken Thigh was beautifully cooked but I thought it lacked of some elements to impress me. Their Anchovy Sambal, on the other hand, took the center-stage with its spicy-piquant yet delectable flavors. It goes perfectly well with the Butteryfly Pea-Rice.

For a change, go for their Chef Pasta (Rm 11.90)- ground Beef and Shimeiji Mushroom were given a quick stir fry using Chinese Bean Paste, the comfortable yet familiar flavor works perfectly well with Pasta. The savory-sweet flavor was given a lift with the use of Garlic, Ginger and sprinkles of chopped Spring Onions. The Spaghetti was expertly-cooked to the right teture. It would be perfect with some additional Chilies added, for the spicy-kick.